Tidbit is no longer suffering

Tidbit's troubles were not caused by a relapse of Tick Fever. He was admitted to the vet hospital yesterday, where the vet who examined him suspected a foreign body in his sinuses. They anesthetized him this morning and using a scope and x-rays, were able to see a large mass in his sinus cavity. Cancer. They didn't wake him up, just put him out of his misery.

Tidbit was 7 years old. Much of his life was spent in neglect, suffering, illness, and abuse. About a year ago, Dr. Stofft and his staff worked very hard to bring him back from the edge of death; when he was stable enough to come home, my partner Liz and I worked hard to help him complete his journey to health. We fed him good food and watched his gaunt frame fill in with muscle. We gave him medication to keep his allergy symptoms minimal. Our dog Darby did a wonderful job befriending him, putting him at ease, playing with him for hours every day, and showing him that humans give good ear scritches. It took many months, but eventually he learned to enjoy human touch. He started coming to me many times per day to get his scritches and give me a kiss. He would dance with joy at dinner time. He would take naps cuddled up with our dog Andie. He would chew a Nylabone with great gusto. He would stalk and pounce foster-cat Mia, occasionally letting out a hound-like BAROO! He would howl his mournful baritone howl when the pack got going. He was part of the family. We loved him, and he loved us.

What I wished for Tidbit was that he could have at least as many years of love and good health as he had of suffering and neglect. At the very least, I wish he could have passed without suffering for as long as he did before we figured out what was wrong with him, and let him go. I wish that all of the precious lives that must end could do so suddenly and gently, that each one of us, animal and human, could pass quietly and painlessly in our sleep with no pain or fear before hand. Life is hard enough. Why does losing it have to be so cruel? Doing animal rescue has taught me that suffering almost always precedes death. I'm so tired of seeing so much suffering, and of death so often being the only way to end it. Tidbit's suffering is over now, but we who loved him suffer on.